This invention relates to an underfloor access housing providing access to a plurality of electrical services at one location in the floor of a building, and more particularly to an improved support assembly for supporting plural electrical receptacles.
Floor constructions are known comprising a metal subfloor supporting an overlying layer of concrete. The metal subfloor includes metal cellular flooring units providing generally parallel enclosed cells or raceways. Sets of access holes, usually prepunched at the factory, are provided for gaining access to the wiring extended through the raceways or cells. A preset access housing is installed over each set of access holes. The concrete is then poured over the metal subfloor and the housings. Initally, only a small number of the housings may actually be used. However, since the number and location of housings used may vary substanially over the life span of the building, housings are provided throughout the floor area.
When an access housing is activated, at least one and at most two electrical receptacles are supported within the housing. The receptacles have been supported by vertical partitions, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,837 (FORK), 3,932,696 (FORK et al), 4,335,296 (HASKINS), and 4,454,692 (AULT). Because of the limited space within the housing, such vertical presentation of the receptacle is not condusive to easy connection and disconnection of electrical plugs.
To render connection and disconnection of plugs relatively easier, receptacles have been supported horizontally and generally flush with the upper surface of the floor, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,469 (FORK) and 4,338,484 (LETTRELL). Such an arrangement is limited in that at most two receptacles can be presented.